DesJarlais signs on to Cooper’s “No Budget, No Pay” measure

Reps. Scott DesJarlais and Jim Cooper don’t often see eye to eye. But they agree on one thing – Congress shouldn’t be paid if it can’t pass a budget on time.

Rep. Scott DesJarlais

DesJarlais signed on today to Cooper’s “No Budget, No Pay Act,” which – as its name suggests – would deny members of Congress their paychecks when they miss deadlines for budget and appropriations bills.

Under the legislation, if lawmakers don’t pass spending bills before the beginning of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, they would not be paid until both chambers of Congress approve spending measures. Cooper’s legislation would also prevent lawmakers from being paid retroactively.

Rep. Jim Cooper

Rank-and-file members of Congress make $174,000 a year. Party leaders make $193,400 and the Speaker of the House makes $223,500.

“Any family or business owner in my district will tell you that the first step to financial success is creating a budget – the same holds true to running the federal government,” said DesJarlais, of Jasper, in a statement. “It is simply impossible to get our nation’s unsustainable spending under control without a long-term plan in place.”

But the measure may not gain much traction on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers miss budget deadlines more often than they meet them. It’s been almost three years since Congress passed a full budget measure through the normal legislative process. And according to the Washington Post, Congress has only managed to pass the entire federal budget by the scheduled deadline of Sept. 30 four times in the last 30 years (in 1977, 1989, 1995 and 1997).